Sokka: The Assassin
by PS2-JS1
Summary: After the death of his mother, Sokka sneaks onto the Southern Raiders' ship, leaving behind his tribe in the South Pole, accidentally stumbling into a different, unexpected, and difficult new life in the Fire Nation.
1. Introduction

_Prologue_

The snow fell softly, polluted with specs of black soot. The white powder had been crushed down to the metal surface of the deck by boots. All of them led to the middle of the ship where soldiers clad in heavy red and black armor surrounded a kid. The boy was tan with blue eyes and couldn't have been more than about nine years old. All of the troops were in a fighting stance, ready to fight until they realized that it was a defenseless little kid. Confusion would have been shown on their faces but they were been covered by red, sea hawk mimicking helmets.

They led him up to the bridge, into the heat, but with the heat in the frigate came a strong odor of burning coal. One of the men led him while the rest followed them. When the man opened the door to the bridge, a man turned around. He wore a uniform larger, more intimidating armor of the same colors, however, his uniform did not have a mask, which revealed that he was a pale old man, yet still managed to looked menacing. When he saw the boy he was completely dumbfounded.

"What is he doing on our ship?" he said quickly and aggressively. The boy stepped back a step, slightly scared of the man because of his hostility. The man who had led him there protectively stepped in front of the kid.

"Sir, he is just a kid, he probably didn't know any better." The man replied with a surprisingly high amount of confidence.

"Probably?" He paused. "Probably!? Lieutenant, he is not supposed to be on my ship, therefore he is to be assumed as a threat." The man was completely enraged by such a simple word.

"But sir, there is no way he could be threatening, he looks like he's scared half to death." The man, who was apparently a lieutenant stepped back from in front of the boy, but he quickly coward behind the man again.

"If you want to believe that he is not a threat, then you may do so. But, realize that you are putting everyone in danger by doing so, therefore, you will be put on probation until he leaves the ship, or until you come to your senses."

"Then sir, I propose that we return him to the Southern Water Tribe." The boy seemed rather happy with this idea, but he didn't show it in fear of it getting rejected. This random man, a lieutenant of the Fire Nation, the same country that was set on destroying his and everyone else's, was suggesting to let him go back home.

The South Pole was the home of his tribe, the Southern Water Tribe. Everyone had eyes the color of the ocean, tan skin, and brunette hair just like him. His family was there, his father who was chief of the water tribe, his mother Kya, his sister Katara who had magical abilities that could move water, and Bato who was his father's best friend and like an uncle. It was where he had been born and raised. He had been learning everything needed to survive and sustain himself whenever he wandered aboard the ship that he was standing on now.

"No!" His thoughts were interrupted and hopes of returning home crushed by the mask less man. "We are currently en route to the capital where we will relay that the mission was a success to the Fire Lord." This peaked the boys interests once again. They were on a specific mission that was important enough to inform the Fire Lord in person. Things weren't adding up, it just seemed like a normal raid on the tribe, which is almost definitely under the radar of the fire lord in most instances. In fact, its true for all instances, except for this one of course.

"Sir, what shall I do until then, it will be at least week before we reach the capital, he can't just stand here the whole time." The lieutenant expressed general concern in his tone of voice.

"Well...part of your probation is the demotion of your quarters to the bottom of the ship, and as it just so happens, the room that you have 'picked' has two beds, or you can come to your senses and 'dispose' of the child." Replied the higher ranking man, taking joy in using emphasis. "Dismissed." He said in a firm, leader like tone.

It seemed like a rather nice room, place strategically near the bridge so he could get there quickly if something happened. It had a window to let in sunlight which it was doing currently, it had carpeting in the center to cover the bare metal floor, a large bed, and a large uniform storage compartment. A trunk under his bed and his uniforms were all he was allowed to take, he packed them together with jerky, mechanical body movements, clearly angered by the latest turn of events. The lieutenant and the boy walked alone down a long hallway on the lowest passenger deck the ship had. They had been quiet for most of the walk, until the lieutenant finally broke the silence, "What's your name kid?" He said in a firm voice.

"It... It's Sokka." He said, barely being able to talk because of anxiety.

"Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe." The lieutenant said to himself. "So why did you sneak onto the ship?" He knew he was going to be asked this question, he even had a plotted out answer.

"I...I don't really know actually, the whole village was being attacked, it was so crazy that I couldn't think straight." Sokka said, realizing the stupidity of what he had just said.

"Not your finest hour kid." He said, sounding slightly disappointed.

"So, what's your name, if you don't mind me asking." His voice was loaded with curiosity, remembering that he hadn't heard a single name while being on board so far.

He remained silent, as they apparently reached their room, which stood at the very end of the hall, right by the engine. He opened the door inwards to find that there were two small beds on either side of the room, with a fire nation flag hanging over one, and a flag with a sea raven over the other. They also had a standard issue trunk for Sokka.

"You can just call me Lieutenant. It's what everyone else calls me here anyway." Disappointment was starting to become a common theme in his voice.

"But Lieutenant, you must have an actual name." Sokka said, wanting an actual answer.

"Just go to sleep." The Lieutenants voice was unforgiving, almost harsh to Sokka. He followed the order, laying down underneath the fire nation flag. He lay on top of the sheets because the heat was still prevalent, until he fell into a slumber, dreaming of home.


	2. Discoveries

_Discoveries_

The black specs floated through the sky, as if it were an ominous snow, but the chief and his fellow tribesmen fought on. This had been a natural system for warning them of an incoming raid, but now only served to infuriate them. They fought to no avail, perhaps they had been distracting them instead of actually trying to raid them, but all they could think about currently was staying alive and fighting. After several minutes of fighting with no real damage to either side, the red invaders started to retreat, an odd move considering that they were starting to overpower the warriors.

The chief stood in the deep snow where he had been fighting, his curiosity rising due to the odd circumstance. Something was very wrong with this picture, they had done no serious damage to them even they could have easily done so, then they just walk away. His thoughts had been confirmed when his daughter ran up to him.

"Dad, mom is in trouble!" she said, panting from sprinting several hundred yards through mushy snow.

His heart sank as he realized that they were decoys. With adrenaline still rushing, he rushed back to his igloo only to find that it was completely empty. He looked around, searching for any possible clues but didn't find anything out of the ordinary except for the fact that his wife was no where to be found. The place seemed much emptier than it did when she was there, but not as empty as his heart was starting to feel. Except for the betrothal necklace that he had dawned upon her after being given to him from his mother. He quickly deposited it in his pocket.

His daughter finally arrived at the house, since she was only eight she wasn't very big, meaning she couldn't run as fast. She had a look of confusion as she observed the same details that he had. Then she had a thought that would make matters even more grim than they were presently, but she had to say it anyway. "Dad, where's Sokka?"

* * *

Sokka woke up, confused for a few moments about being in a dim candle-lit room that was entirely to hot until the memories from last night surged back to him. He stumbled out of bed, deciding that he should at least get some fresh air. As he was about to walk out the door, he looked back upon the room and noticed the chest that he could only assume was his. Sniffing his own clothes, he discovered that the smell of arctic seal had finally set in from yesterday's lunch. He walked back to the chest to look inside, but unsurprisingly did not find anything. He walked out of the room and traced back his footsteps from last night, eventually arriving at the bridge.

"Good Agni... What is that awful stench?!" The captain of the ship almost immediately after he walked in the door. The captain looked behind him to find the little boy standing just inside of the doorway. All that Sokka could think is, he did not look happy.

After about five minutes of the captain's eyes nearly popping out of his skull, shouting at him about how he is supposed to be a prisoner, his stench being able to take out an entire army, and various privates walking through the bridge giving him apologetic looks, he was finally released to go out onto the deck, he had oddly enough wanted the ordeal to go on longer because he was quite comical without intending to. From what he could tell from the windows of the bridge and now, the days were now starting to pronounce themselves. It was an odd concept that the sun was becoming high in the sky unlike what he was used to, which was nearly touching the horizon for half of the year before disappearing for the other half.

He had never been outside of his tribe, he had only heard about the rest of the world from some of the elders. He had also not been on a ship like this before or even believed in the art of bending. His sister's bending only seemed like magic to him because it seemed surreal, but after seeing fire bending from the soldiers that were attacking his village, he had finally believed it. It's funny how quickly he got thrown into a completely separate world from his, yet they were not separate at all. Thinking about it all at once was a bit too much for Sokka to handle at one time and he soon began to hyperventilate.

Sokka thought back to his tribe, and to a particular time with his mother. She looked down, with her ocean blue eyes, at him and his sister and tried calming them down when their father went on his first hunt since they were born. She said, "Whenever everything changes around, just focus on what is familiar, like yourself, and breathe deeply and slowly."

He thought about how similar he was to when he was with his mother and now, and his breathing instinctively slowed down. Sokka wasn't sure where his mother had learned this, or if she even had to learn this, but to him, she was one of the smartest women that he knew. This didn't mean much since his only comparison was the rest of the tribe, but to him, it meant the world.

He walked around the deck, only receiving an occasional glance by random soldiers who were walking by. The whole place was foreign to him, however he tried to remain as calm as possible, repeating his mother's lesson repeatedly in his head. He wandered through every part of the ship except for the individual sleeping cabins, trying to wrap his head around all of the things about his temporary home and what has and would happen to him. His conclusion was very grim and unwelcoming to him, he wouldn't be able to see his family or home for a long time, if ever, and this place would never be considered a home. He technically chose to get on to the ship, but these events were never his intention, nor were they his doing, therefore this very ship, and these very people stole him away from the only life he knew.

When the sun nearly dipped below the horizon, he finally went back to his room, positive that there was absolutely nothing to do for a kid in his situation and he was already knew thinking was not going to help his dire situation. So he vanished into his sleeping quarters, taking a newly discovered route that led from the deck to the cabins so he didn't suffer the wrath of the captain again, even though it was rather humorous.

As he walked through the door, he discovered he was not alone. The Lieutenant hadn't been there very long though, because he had only taken off his mask. He had an appearance of what a traditional fire nation citizen had, at least from the descriptions he had been given; pale skin, golden eyes, and raven hair. He had a look of surprise as he wasn't expecting the door to open.

"I didn't think I would see you again, I've been looking all throughout the ship and couldn't find you." Sokka said, with a slight worry to his tone.

"You saw me in the bridge earlier, when the captain was yelling at you, that place still smells like a fish market; this place is starting to smell like it too." He said, nearly laughing, throwing Sokka off completely because of his previous seriousness, but then realizing this room was about to become the same way.

"You should have changed into the clothes that were in your trunk." He said like it was so obvious that he were looking at directions for it.

Sokka walked over to his trunk without saying a word and opened it for the Lieutenant to see that nothing occupied it.

"That would explain why, come with me and I'll get you some clothes with less... powerful smell." The Lieutenant placed his helmet back on, then carried the empty chest out of the door with ease while Sokka followed him. They soon arrived at the lowest deck, the storage deck. When they walked down the stairs, they were immediately greeted by an inventory tracker, who immediately walked around his desk to stand at attention since he was only a private.

"At ease." said Lieutenant, to which the private relaxed.

"How may I be of assistance Lieutenant?" said the other man in uniform.

He showed the empty crate to the man, to which the private frowned. He then pointed at Sokka and said, "That awful stench you are smelling right now is him, he needs new clothes."

"I'm sorry, but he is a prisoner and isn't even allowed to be out of a cell, let alone given clothes. I cannot fulfill that order." He said, his apologetic tone wasn't very convincing.

The Lieutenant in one swift motion pushed the man aggressively onto the desk, pinning him down. In an angered, homicidal tone, with gritted teeth he said, "I am your superior, you will do what I say, now get the kid some clothes before you regret refusing him clothes." He then let him go, stepping back to let him get up.

"I'll see if I can find something." The private said, like he had just seen a ghost. It even frightened Sokka a bit. The inventory tracker walked off like a dog with its tail between its legs. The Lieutenant was not one to become enemies with, because such a foolish decision could prove lethal.


	3. The Lieutenant's Amnesia

_Chapter 3: The Lieutenant's Amnesia_

It has been an entire day since the _incident_... I am still completely unsure of what to think of this Lieutenant guy. On one hand, he is the guy who kept me from being killed, but on the other, he seemed so enraged that he could kill the guy. But I had to admit, the clothes that I'm wearing were probably silk woven so precisely that it probably puts the clothes of royalty to shame. I finally convinced him to allow me to ask questions about him and the fire nation and he would ask questions about me.

"So..." Sokka said awkwardly, unsure of what exactly to say.

"So..." replied the Lieutenant, mockingly.

"I guess my first question would have to be, what is your name?"

"Next question." the Lieutenant replied casually.

"What!? We had a deal... I ask you questions and you ask me questions". He barely said three words and I am already agitated, this can only possibly go one way, and that is downhill.

"True, and I am indeed a man of my word. We agreed to ask each other questions, nothing was ever said about answering those questions". The Lieutenant was apparently witty too now, which I mentally noted.

"Alright then, what questions will you actually answer". Yep, downhill indeed.

"How could I possibly know what questions I would answer, do you have a list which I can choose from, because otherwise, the number of different questions you could ask me is infinite". It was odd to finally see this guy in a happy mood, hopefully this is normal or this ship ride is going to last forever. That still did not change the fact that he was becoming aggravating to me.

"Fine! Um... to answer your first question, I don't honestly remember my name." The Lieutenant said reluctantly.

"What!? How do you not even know your name?" Sokka was quite shocked at the current situation... how does someone just forget their own name.

"Well... It actually all started a few weeks ago, you cannot tell anyone else this though."

_I woke up, covered in dust, it was an odd dust though, a mixture of stone and ash. The first thing I noticed was that I was suffering from extreme hunger, it must have been weeks since I have eaten. I opened by eyes to a smoke filled sky, fires were everywhere, in the near distance, there was a massive hole in a massive wall. Bodies were sprawled everywhere, some in green colored armor, severely charred and singed to death, others in red armor, covered in dirt and gravel, dying from suffocation and internal bruising presumably. As he looked down at his own body, he noticed that he fit into the latter category of people, except without the gruesome death part._

_'Great', he thought, 'I woke up in a war zone'._

_As he walked around, he started to think about what had happened before, and realized he could not recollect the battle, in fact, he could not even remember anything before the battle._

_'Alright, this is not good. I cannot remember anything and I am surrounded by what I can only assume are dead comrades and dead enemies._

_Since I am the only one alive here, I guess we won.' He chuckled to himself before the realization of him being surrounded by dead bodies set in again._

"_I think I saw movement over here. I'm going to go check it out." He heard from a distance. Fearing that it was possibly an enemy, he quickly hid behind a pile of ruble. A soldier dressed in red walked around the corner, with a mask mimicking a sea raven, the uniform only matched his by color._

_'Wait, our uniforms barely match at all, maybe we are not allies. No, that's the stupidest thing I've ever told myself.' He thought for a moment before realizing that he had nothing to compare it to anyway._

_As he glanced around, he noticed a dead soldier wearing a uniform like the one the soldier who had just appeared before. He crawled over and as quickly as he could, switched his and the dead soldiers uniforms, trying to mask as much disgust as he could, then decided quickly to bury the man in a shallow grave, so as not to arouse suspicion._

"_Hello... is anyone out there?" the sea raven masked soldier called out. He slowly rose from his crawling space and walked out into the open._

"_Lieutenant, I thought everyone that was living had already been picked up, say was that you who I saw moving around just a minute ago."_

"_The one and only." He replied, his voice attempted to give confidence, yet came out hoarse after what must have been weeks without use._

"_Well, it's been a week since then, I don't know how you managed that, but you must be pretty hungry." The other man seemed relatively light-hearted, seemingly easy to deceive, I could play along blindfolded and hands tied behind my back._

"_If I don't get food now, I'm probably going to starved to death out here, definitely the least heroic death out here." The other soldier chuckled slightly, I faked a slight smile._

"_Well, come back to camp, we're cooking right now, you could get washed up really quickly and then dinner should be done. By the way, we're leaving this dump tomorrow to head back to the south, we've been told by the fire lord to go back to raiding the Southern Water Tribe. Back to the old routine."_

_Great, now I am going to travel presumably far away from here, where it will be difficult if not impossible to figure out who I am._

_Its too late to turn back now._


	4. A Plan

_Chapter 4: A Plan_

It had been over a week since Sokka had been away from home, the ship was nearing the Fire Nation capital. Off in the distant horizon, something started to appear, growing larger as the frigate traveled closer toward it. Then land started to appear on either side of the figure, but not directly around it. As they moved closer, he discover that it was a grand statue of a man, standing at the entrance of a bay area. As they passed beside the figure, he noticed that it towered over the ship. There were also nets attached to the man's arms that draped down into the water. As he looked to either shore, he noticed that the nets rose back up to the mouth's of dragons, precisely carved down to the grain, not unlike the statue of the man.

_What purpose could that serve? _Sokka questioned to himself.

Brushing the thought away, he looked for a port. When none were seen, it dawned on him that it would still be awhile before they would make landfall. Today was the day they would arrive in the Fire Nation Capital. He honestly wasn't sure what to think.

"Hey... you over there," said one a sailor behind him. Sokka turned around and noticed he was only a private. "Your presence has been requested on the bridge". Curiosity showed on his face before wiping it off to follow the private.

The man opened the door, stepping aside to let Sokka in first, then promptly announcing, "The boy is on deck now". To this, the temperamental man from the first night revealed himself by turning on his heels to face Sokka. Even from across the deck he was still visibly as angry as he had been then.

_Maybe that's just how his face is all the time. _He held back a small chuckle.

"Hello _stow away,_" said the man, making it sound as dehumanizing as possible, "we will be landing in the fire nation capital today. You shall not cause any trouble while I am gone. If you do not do so, then that lieutenant will not be able to protect you. You should be thankful of me, as I was in a rather merciful mood when you came aboard, don't mess it up."

_Thankful for raiding my village and then trying to get me killed for hopping on your ship... yeah, I don't think so._

With that, he was waved off. He walked the long, desolate hallway back to his room. However, a door suddenly opened right beside him and he was pulled inside quickly. Once Sokka reoriented himself, he noticed it was a supply closet, and that the Lieutenant was the person that pulled him inside.

"Why did you pull me in here without warning?" Sokka yelled.

"Shhh... Did the Commander just speak to you?" He asked in a barely audible whisper.

"Yeah, why?" He was unsure of why this was important or why they needed to whisper, but it surely must be of dire urgency.

The Lieutenant let out a long breathe, but it was not from relief. "This is not good". His tone became serious.

"What makes you say that?" He knew that speaking with the Commander could not possibly be good for him, but he failed to see why it could be problematic.

"Well, he has a tendency to act somewhat compassionate toward a person, an enemy to him, then when it is least expected, he kills them". He tried not to sound so grim about it but it came out that way nonetheless.

The weight of the world dropped onto Sokka's shoulders in that very instant. What was he to do? It's not like he could do anything about that.

"Alright, I have a plan," the Lieutenant said, sure of himself, "when we dock in the capital later today, you will get off of the ship. The only problem with this is that the only true entrance is the bow of the ship. So, you need to get to an area at the edge of the ship where no one can see you, then jump off when we get near the sea wall to swim to shore and then travel through the forest to the capital."

Sokka's face became comically skeptical. "ARE YOU CRAZY!? First, you want me to go jump off of this ship through an exploit in this ships patrol, even though the whole deck is being patrolled all day, everyday, not to mention possibly being diced up by the paddle wheels of the ship, then I need to swim to shore and walk through a forest of a place I've never been, to the capital, which I can only assume is the more secure and locked down then Ba Sing Se."

"Well now you're just being a pessimist." Sokka had a good sense of humor, but now was not the time. "I've already found the area you'll be jumping off from, it isn't that bad. You can also follow the walls and buildings of the port to get to the city, which is where I will find you."

_So he did actually think this through. _He breathed a sigh of relief. "Why are you doing this?" Sokka asked with genuine curiosity.

"I remember one thing from before I got amnesia. Someone, I don't remember them at all except that they told me, to solve my own problem, I may need to help someone else, or something like that" the Lieutenant said admittedly.

"Okay, I'll do it", he said with confidence instilled in his voice.


	5. Sneaking In

_Chapter five: Sneaking In_

'Why did I agree to this?' Sokka wondered as he crawled through the ventilation system, stealthily making an escape. They weren't as spacious as he had hoped whenever he had been presented with the plan, they barely allowed him to crawl through. He had reached his first intersection, so he pulled out the map he had been given.

"_How did you get this?" Sokka questioned the Lieutenant._

"_Learn when to not ask questions" was all the Lieutenant responded with, completely serious._

"So let's see where I need to go" He unfolded the floor plans to the ship and found where he was. "So if I go right, forward, and then up, I should be able to reach the vent the Lieutenant circled". He folded the papers back up and put him in a waterproof pouch so he wouldn't ruin them.

After several minutes of crawling through the tight space, he found a vent shedding sunlight through. Almost on queue, a horn sounded off, denoting engine trouble. Almost instinctively, everyone rushed to the back of the ship to find the source of the problem.

"_I will tamper with the engine while most of the engineers are on their lunch break," the Lieutenant said when explaining the plan, "at that point, we will be close enough to port that you can swim to the outskirts but not be seen. This vent," the Lieutenant circled a vent, "is loose, it leads to the deck which will empty when they hear the engine failure horn. Wait until you don't see or hear anymore soldiers. Push the vent out and be sure to place it back when you are out so you leave no traces of your escape route. From there, just dive off the ship and swim to the shore nearby. Keep a safe distance from the people and structures so they don't discover you and I will look for you at the rim overlooking the city". He folded the floor plans up before tucking them in a waterproof pouch. "Keep these safe, you never know when you'll need them"._

He looked around a little through the vent while listening...nothing. He slowly pushed out the vent before crawling out and replacing it. He stood in broad daylight, wearing nearly nothing, as his clothes would have been ruined and only serve as a nuisance while swimming. He looked left and right, seeing if anyone had found him.

Blood drained out of his face as he found the captain near the bow, staring him dead in the eye with pure hatred. "Boy!" he shouted out and started to run toward him. Sokka instantly realized that he needed to dive quickly, so with lightning quick speed, he did. He swam as fast as he could, remaining below the surface as he didn't know if the captain was a fire bender or not… the water behind him warmed up slightly and evaporated, 'yep, he is'.

Just as soon as he started trying to attack Sokka, he stopped, realizing it was futile.

After an eternity of swimming, Sokka finally managed to make it to the shore. In reality it was probably only about thirty minutes, but he exerted so much energy that his perception of time was completely distorted. He crawled up from the water before almost immediately collapsing.

–

It was almost night time when he woke up. Restored of most of his energy, he realized he needed to get to the rim as quickly as possible, so he quickly started to climb the natural sea wall. As soon as he reached the top, he started running through the terrain toward the city, making sure not to alert anyone of his presence. As he started to climb the steepest leg of the trek, he heard a horn wail. He looked back to the port and discovered that it was the southern raiders ship he had escaped from. 'Good' he thought, 'I'm not late.' So he walked the rest of the way up the incline and waited at the rim, discovering what may have been the greatest achievement of mankind, having a city inside of a volcano.

Just after nightfall came, and flames throughout the city were lit along the streets, Lieutenant showed up, carrying Sokka's chest from the ship. Sokka didn't take notice at first, still basking in the strange site, until Lieutenant's footsteps became audible to him.

"Alright, here is your chest, now for figuring out where you can live for the time being..." he said, pondering the possibilities mentally.

"Frankly, if I may voice my opinion, this plan is becoming worse and worse by the minute" Sokka said with skepticism.

"Calm down alright, there is a man, an army swords master… who I happen to know, he is staying in an inn on this side of the city on business, sneak into the city and find him, got it?"

"So you're not only telling me to go into the heart of the fire nation, but you're also telling me to meet with someone I should probably be avoiding to stay hidden?"

"Well, you will just have to bear with me on all of this, okay?" The tone of his voice was becoming less convincing with each word.

"I guess I don't have a choice now do I?" which was responded to with only a shaking head.

"I will not see you for a while, so I guess this is goodbye for now" said the Lieutenant after realizing he needed to get back.

Sokka simply said "Goodbye" and the Lieutenant walked away. Several minutes later, Sokka started to walk in the same direction after enough time had passed, doing his best to hide within the darkness of night.


	6. The Sword Master

_Chapter Six: The Sword Master_

The moon sat high in the sky by this time, going to inn after inn to find some sword master.

'Is it too much to ask for someone to be more specific than _this side of the city_, because this place must be at least a dozen times larger than the village." Sokka thought to himself as he walked through the shadows of the capital.

"_Is a sword master staying here?"_

"_No."_

"_Is some old guy who's really good with swords here?"_

"_No."_

"_Is a military official staying here?"_

"_Of course, this is the capital after all."_

"_Is he a sword master?"_

"_No."_

As much as he amused himself with trying to ask the innkeepers the same question with different phrasing, he was growing tired of walking throughout the city. He neared another inn, one that he had not checked on yet. He walked in and walked to the concierge desk immediately.

"Hello, Welcome t-" He didn't even let her finish speaking before he simply said "Sword guy? Where?"

Although slightly appalled by his brazen interruption, she simply raised her finger to point at a corner he had not even taken notice of when walking in.

'Finally!' He thought happily to himself that he did not have to walk around the capital anymore. This happiness quickly faded away when he saw him in military attire, remembering that his people constantly tried destroying his tribe. He had a much darker complexion than most people in the fire nation, and his hair was gray, which he could only assume was due to many stressful years of serving the military.

"Who are you?" The sword master asked, while staring at him accusingly.

"Um… I have come to seek training in the art of swordsmanship?" Sokka was not sure of why he had actually been tasked with seeking out this sword master, which he had only just thought of, but tried improvising as best he could.

"And what makes you think that I would even consider you to be worthy of my training?" He asked pompously.

"I guess that would be up to your discretion." Sokka said.

"Wise boy, I will consider it if I find that you are worthy of training, however, confidence in you is clearly lacking, fix it." He said firmly.

"Yes sir." He said, obviously more confidently.

"That is more like it," he said smugly, "now follow me".

Sokka did as he was told and followed him.

They walked down the firelight street in total silence. Sokka was first to try to spark a conversation. "So what is your name?"

"It is Piandao, and what is your name?" He asked politely.

"Sokka" he answered quickly but with instant regret. Surely, he would recognize that his name was not of fire nation origin.

"You are panicking right now because you realize that I would know you are Southern Water Tribe", Piandao said when he stopped and turned around to look at Sokka. All he could do was stare fearfully at him.

"Do not fear, I have heard of your plight and owe a certain person a favor", said the sword master in a relieving tone. Sokka released the largest breathe he ever had, which he didn't even realize he was holding.

"You should however realize that this does put you on a tightrope in our society. Not everyone here is so accepting" said Piandao grimly.

Sokka walked in silence for a moment contemplating this. "But wait, how do you know him?" curiosity was getting the better of him.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell at the moment, but his unlike most everyone else here".

They stopped behind the inn, where there was a towering wall and doors. Piandao pushed open the door and just like that, Sokka was overwhelmed. The place was a spacious as could be unlike the rest of the capital. An open concrete platform rested in the middle while luscious flora stood off to the sides. The instant the doors closed, all of the noise of the capital disappeared, being absorbed by the wall and doors instead.

"This is where I will train you everyday, arrive at sunrise everyday".

"What?" Sokka became thoroughly confused.

"What was the confusing part, the sunrise part or everyday?"

"Well… sunrise?" He answered doubtfully.

"You must learn to not waste any time, plus I am busy in the afternoon".

Sigh

"Don't sound so enthusiastic!" said Piandao, sarcastically.

He paused for a moment before pondering, "Why are you busy?"

"Hey, I'm in the fire nation military and there's a war going on… what do you expect?"

_I guess it wouldn't do any good to complain about the military, especially considering how kind he is being._

"Fair point", he said like he was barely paying attention.

"Then do we have a deal?" Piandao asked

"Deal!"

Then they shook hands.


	7. Assimilation

Chapter 7: Assimilation

Half a decade has passed.

Half a decade since I last saw my family, half a decade since I met and promptly said goodbye to the Lieutenant, half a decade since I started training under the Sword master Piandao. It has not been a swift journey, nor a particularly fun one at that. In fact, I've been training every day since arriving.

Memorization, intellect, motor skills, communication… I've spent every day in the fire nation working to achieve perfection in all of these categories while training with Piandao. Even when he is off doing work, I train during every waking hour.

I open my eyes, and the sun is about to peak above the eastern horizon, so I sit up from the bed in the inn that I have spent five years, to the day, living and training. 

After eating breakfast, I walk briskly to the courtyard for today's training. Although as I open the door, I spot that my sword master is wearing battle armor, which would be less unusual, except for the fact that he hadn't notified that he had to go out on any official business.

I close the door behind me and stand two paces away, completely parallel to him, waiting for some sort of command or another form of dialogue to come from his mouth.

"Ready your sword".

Sokka obviously did as he was told, retracting his sword from its scabbard on his back, grabbing the hilt with both hands. Once out, his blade stood like a line in front of his face.

"Begin".

The first few moments consisted of complete stillness, despite this, they were not doing nothing. Both of them observed each other carefully for any signs of the first movement to determine whether to strike or block. Piandao's sword moved a fraction of the width of a pen stroke, but that was enough movement for Sokka, and he stepped forward and slashed from left to right, which was met in the middle by the other swordsman's sword. They retreated back a step each, holding their swords as they had done before, but now walking equidistance from each other in a circle.

Now it was Piandao's turn to be the aggressor. He left forward with a strike down the center, and the two blades met again. Piandao tried overpowering Sokka's block, but the kid had been trained into peak physical condition which made the sword master more vulnerable than Sokka in this position and he'd known it the moment Sokka blocked his attack. Piandao pivoted his sword more vertical to quickly block any attack Sokka could and certainly would make as he distanced himself. But Sokka surprised him before he could retreat when he grabbed the handle of Piandao's sword since it was now within reach of his free hand. Before he realized it, Sokka had both of the swords, leaving him defenseless and ending the match.

They bowed to each oher, both mimicking the same angle because now, they were equal.

"I have to say," Piandao started, "you will definitely go on to be a great sword, but I have taught you everything that I know and you have even started creating your own techniques, now, I have a favor to ask of you".

"Of course".

He walked toward Sokka and told Sokka in a hushed tone, "I need you to infiltrate the palace".

Sokka's eyes widened upon hearing that.

_Wait, he's works for the fire nation military but he is asking me to sneak into the palace and spy on who I could only assume is the fire lord himself, why would he ask me to do something like this unless…_

_Traitor._

"Alright, but how exactly am I going to do this?"

"All of the things that I have taught you over these past years of training should help, just make sure to observe the royal family, and definitely keep track of anything unusual that happens, also, this is our goodbye".

"Goodbye", Sokka said simply, for that was all he could say while contemplating the shear effort needed to accomplish this new task, and in the back of his head, he realized yet another person who helped guide him through his life was about to disappear, first his family, then the Lieutenant even though that was in brief passing, and now his sword master.

As Sokka opened the door to the courtyard and passed through it, he thought he heard Piandao shout out to him "Remember the White Lotus", although he figured he had just been hearing things.

He walked the streets toward the palace, with each block he passed, both the houses and the people became increasingly ornate. He was heading to the very center of the capital, the palace.

The structures around him became taller and wider, while the quality pavement under his feet became better maintained and smoother. Occasionally he would see an entourage guards walking by, protecting the high ranking official they were assigned to. At one point the streets became so crowded that he was accidentally shoved into one of these entourages that was walking the same direction as him.

They stopped.

"Hey!" One of the men cried out in surprise and anger, "You're not supposed to be in here". They all surrounded him, pointing their bladed staffs at him near his feet, ready to slash up and through him if need be.

"Wait!" He heard a girl cry out, the same one who the group of guards were assigned to protect. "It's okay, calm down". The guards reluctantly eased themselves while letting the woman in. She was unlike other people in the fire nation, her eyes were brown unlike the seemingly generic gold. Her hair was also brown and braided, yet somehow it was still long enough to travel all the way down her back.

"He just got shoved in here because it's so crowded, there's no need to kill him, he's harmless".

_Oh, the irony!_

"Besides, he's kinda cute". Sokka blushed intensely at her statement.

"Alright, then move along kid". He was nudged briskly by the guards, clearly wishing to be more forceful if the lady wasn't watching. Then, suddenly her hand jutted out and clasped his wrist.

"Hey, I never told you guys to shoo him away so soon". She said in a happy-go-lucky tone.

"B-but?" a guard stuttered.

"But what?" the woman was becoming frustrated.

Silence

"That's what I thought, now you are dismissed". She said promptly.

"But the royal family decrees that all nobility going to the royal palace be delivered safely to their house".

_She came from the palace?_

"And you don't think he could do it?"

"Didn't you just say he's harmless though?" said one of the guards. Then another pitched in, "Yeah, and you didn't even ask him if he would be willing to take you either".

She stood confused, unable to comeback with any retorts.

"While you do bring up valid points gentlemen," Sokka started in, "I am quite capable of defending her and I am willing to escort her. Besides, have you even thought about the possibility that she may report you to royal family because you didn't do as she requested?" He could only imagine the looks of horror they were making under their mask at just thinking about getting charged with treason.

"There is no need for us now, good day ma'am, take good care of her". They said promptly, if not grumbling under their breath, before turning away on their heels and breaking into a fast walk.

"Thanks". She said.

"No need, they would have just served to annoy you more for not listening anyway".

"Well, they left me with you, but I don't even know your name".

"It's Sokka".

"Hmm… that's a unique name. Mine is Ty Lee by the way".

"Also unique, but why exactly do you need protecting anyway, this is the capital, literally the most fortified place in the world".

"Well, I'm going to let you in on a secret," she came close to him and cupped her hands between her mouth and his ear as if it would funnel everything she said into his ear, "I'm the princess's best friend".

"Oh, I guess that explains a lot". Sokka said, baffled by this turn of events.

She nodded her head in agreement.

"So then it's off to your palace then, let's go", Sokka announced.

"There's no need to rush", she said.

_Oh right, I'm not on a specific schedule anymore._

"let's just take our time", she said. And that's when he realized how stressed of a person she must have been since she was the fire nation princess's best friend, he had heard horror stories from palace maids on vacation about how picky and cruel she could be. Granted, they weren't supposed to talk about what they did in the palace, but still.

"Alright, I'm in no rush either, so don't worry, but this street is too busy for taking our time".

"Agreed".

So they filtered into an alley that had a noticeably smaller amount of people in it, with Sokka leading the way.

"So…", Ty Lee started, "What brings you to the capital?"

"Huh?" He became confused, "I've lived here for several years".

"Oh… then why are you wandering the streets?"

_Hmm… Do I tell her the truth or do I lie? Eh, I guess I have nothing to hide, so let's hide in plain sight._

"Well, I have been training with a very highly regarded sword master for several years and now that training is done, I need to find something else to do and somewhere else to live".

"Oh, sword master Piandao, right?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"That's the same guy who trained Zuz- I mean Prince Zuko. I guess you were training while he was also teaching him". Ty Lee said, almost as if it were common knowledge.

She led him into a quaint and peaceful tea shop just off the alley they were walking down. They sat down and both ordered a jasmine tea.

"So I have to ask you, why is your aura nonexistent?"

Sokka's right eyebrow shot up instantly, "My what? Aura? Do I need one?"

"It's colors that I see radiating off of people to tell what they're feeling, but I don't see anything from you, it honestly a little disconcerting".

"So did you notice that when we first met?"

She nodded.

"Well I don't know anything about aura's so it's not like I could give a definitive answer to your curiosity, but being able to see emotions radiating off of people is intriguing".

"I don't really know how to explain it, I've just always had it, people around me were confused at first thought I was crazy, but I've read up on it to and it is much more common and normal than you might think".

"But you haven't ever seen anyone without one?"

"Nope, and the strange thing is, in all of the research that I have done, and I can assure you that I have done a lot, I have never, ever heard of something like this".

"I bet that makes you curious, huh?"

"Well you're not wrong".

"So…" He said, knowing that she was about to start probing him for information about his backstory, but he didn't have anything to hide about it… except for being the chief of the southern water tribe's son and hitching a ride on the southern raiders' ship that he then escaped from with the help of a soldier who could, in this instance, be best described as a traitor, snuck into the capital to find a sword master who I then trained for years with and once I completed the training, was then asked by him to sneak into the palace and spy until the time is right… yeah, nothing to hide.

"Where are you from?"

"I, actually don't really like talking about my backstory".

"Oh, is it because you're from the Southern Water Tribe?"

_Well, that went downhill fast._

He sat there in silence, unsure of how and if he should respond.

"Don't worry though, he and I are on the same page", she said.

"What?! Does everyone I run into just happen to know each other?"

"Pretty much", she replied smugly.

"Well I take it you know what's happening now, right?"

"Yup".

"Well then why did you go through a whole lie about not being able to see an 'aura' around me as an excuse to show why you took interest in me?"

Her face distorted into one of disdain. "That wasn't a lie, I'm telling the truth… one-hundred percent".

He felt guilty and he definitely showed it, "I'm sorry about that".

"Okay, well don't do it again, anyway, if you couldn't tell, I'm your ticket into the palace, and you will be acting as my love interest".

"What?" He blushed as he awkwardly snickered. "I don't mean to offend but we kind of just met and this is going to fast".

"Well, you see, 'this' is a lie".

His self-esteem visibly dropped.

"Sooo, I guess we just act…casually romantic?"

"Whatever work for you", she said, only half paying attention.

_Well, this is sure to be a pleasant hell._


	8. The Palace

_Chapter 8: The Palace_

They walked toward the palace casually talking while the building in question loomed overhead. They weren't even standing right next to it, yet it still gave the impression that it was the tallest thing in existence and it had the strength to match.

Yes, it was definitely clear what message the fire nation was trying to send … resistance is futile.

_But they've never met 'me'._

All of the things I have done before this moment pale in comparison to what I am going to do now. I've caused havoc before, like picking a fight with a guard and winning, and disappearing into the night because the whole capital went into high alert.

_But that was all in the name of training._

The next thing I needed to do was do something real for once. That's not to say the things I've done before weren't real, they were in fact too real sometimes, but now it is time to face the man at the top of the totem pole. First, you sneak into your enemy's compound pretending to be friendly, then you get subtly closer by being the one and only that they can truly trust. Once they are blinded by that, the next step becomes evident.

_One swing of the blade is all it takes._

Obviously I am getting ahead of myself here. Piandao seemed to have planned something big out, either on his own or with his network of people. But that's where things get hairy, who is in his network and who isn't, and can I trust them, because if I can't, I can't trust anyone, period.

"So Sokka, tell me a bit about yourself?" Ty Lee asked him.

"Ummm-"

"What do you mean um?" She asked with any angry undertone.

"Well, I have been training for over half my life and haven't really given thought to anything else besides that", he replied slightly disappointed at listening to his own statement.

"Then I will change that, but for now, come up with some kind of backstory for yourself, but make sure you say you are from the fire nation".

"Why?"

"Because you will probably be killed on site if you say anything besides that".

"Oh, lovely!"

"Yep, and it would be a shame to see such a good face and body go to waste", to which Sokka blushed profusely.

_I don't think that I can deal with this all the time … not that I'm complaining but it gets awkward sometimes._

"Looks like we're here", Sokka said, pretending that nothing happened in addition to actually seeing the guard post ahead.

"Act natural".

"They have a sense of humor?"

"You're right, act … respectable", which brought a sigh from Sokka.

"Well, we're just about to the gate, any potentially last words you want to say?" She asked as a genuine question.

"Way to be positive".

"Eh, you always want to make sure all the bases are covered at the very least, it would be a shame to eternally regret something".

"You do bring up a good point, but I think I will be fine for now, thank you though".

"Hmm".

"What is it?"

"Oh, it's just that people don't generally thank me for anything, they just say 'Ty Lee do this' and 'Ty Lee do that' and they just expect me to do it".

"Wow", he said in astonishment, "Why wouldn't you do that? It's such a courteous thing to do that it seems rude otherwise, but I guess this is the fire nation".

"Hey!" she said angrily at him.

"What? Oh, Sorry". Sokka said to which Ty Lee started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Now it was his turn to be offended.

"I don't really mind you insulting us much, it's not like I'm not used to it. However, act like a loyal fire nation noble in front of the royalty will you? Anndddd… we're here. Showtime".

They stood at a checkpoint which would let them through the perimeter wall to the courtyard and the menacing building in question.

_This has been going way too easy._

"Wait," said one of the guards, "Who is this?"

"Oh, I'm Sokka", he said gleefully.

_Well maybe it has been going too easily._

"What business do you have here?"

"He's my boyfriend", Ty Lee said as she clung to his left arm.

"Yes, I'm her… boyfriend".

"And we're here for my visit to the princess", Ty Lee said.

"Yes, well then, go ahead", the guard said as he waved them through.

"Not bad, but did you really have to pause to contemplate being my boyfriend?"

"Well Honey, I just think that things are moving just a little too fast between us. I think I might need a break to think about it, okay?"

Frustration visibly showed on Ty Lee's face. Clearly, she appreciates sarcasm. Next thing Sokka knew, he was massaging a red hand mark on his face.

"Yeah, I probably deserved that one", to which she nodded.

They walked through the vast corridors in silence, and as they did, Sokka couldn't help but notice… emptiness. That wasn't to say it wasn't ornate or nicely decorated, but there wasn't anything in these hallways that seemed adequate for the size of palace he saw on the outside, there were no people, no furniture, no emotion, no anything, it almost felt cold to him, despite the warm weather of the fire nation.

Suddenly, the air became almost as frigid as the south pole. It even caused him to get goosebumps even with his high tolerance to the cold.

"We're here" Ty Lee stated as they stood in front of a colossal door. She seemed completely unaware of any lack of heat, which through Sokka off.

She knocked on the door, emitting a deep resonance.

"Enter!" someone shouted in a firm voice from a large distance away on the other side of the door.

Ty Lee opened the door to a stadium- no, a bedroom.

_Why does everything in this palace have to be enormous? Are they compensating for something?_

"Ty Lee, it's nice of you to finally show up", a woman slightly younger than Sokka said in an edgy tone. She was nothing special compared to anyone else in the fire nation except for three things: she wore a topknot with a small crown headpiece, armor that probably made her appear much larger and menacing than she really was, and her eyes were impossibly gold, yet upon walking closer to the two of them, Sokka felt like he was going to get hypothermia and he realized it was her all along yet Ty Lee didn't appear cold in the slightest.

The room was no different than the rest of the palace, very ornate yet hollow. The room had a bed fit for a king, or a princess in this case, and a seating area off to the side where a statue sat in one of the chairs.

_Peculiar._

"And who is this?" She said in the same tone as before.

_Hmm…_ Sokka thought to himself, _does she always sound like this._

"This is Sokka, he's my boyfriend", Ty Lee said in the bubbly attitude he hadn't seen since they first met.

Her face changed from serious to surprised and back in a split second and pretended no one saw her facial expression change.

"And you must be the princess?" Sokka said as polite as he could.

"Yes", she said as if she were disgusted that he was even talking to her.

_Why does she seem so angry?_

"Oh, and Mai is here too!" exclaimed Ty Lee.

"Yes" a monotone voice said from a seat in the distance.

_That's not a statue?!_

"So Ty Lee, you never told me you were interested in a boy, why?" asked the princess.

"Well, because we only meet each other once every three months", Ty Lee said, causing Sokka to laugh a little at the absurdity.

"What's so funny?" the princess asked in condescension, which was really starting to agitate him.

"I was just thinking of a joke. Never mind though, it's not important".

"What-was-it?" her temper was very short fused.

"Well, it's not really a joke per say and I've never tried it myself, but have you seen what cactus juice does to a person?"

"No, why don't we try it on you, shall we?" she shined a devilish smile toward him.

"She's a malicious one isn't she?" Sokka asked the other women in the room

"Indeed" Azula replied and broke out into a highly unsettling laughter causing everyone to glance at her worriedly. She stopped laughing immediately and once again pretended nothing had happened.

_Something seems… sketchy, about her._

"Ah, Sokka, I almost forgot, this was the day we agreed to meet my parents. I'm sorry Azula, we have to go", and Ty Lee slammed the door and ran with Sokka's wrist in her hand.

Once they rounded a corner, they tucked against the wall in dim light hidden away to catch their breath.

"Ty Lee, what was that?"

"I honestly have no clue. I've never seen her act that way", although her expression seemed to say otherwise.


End file.
